Europe is expensive there's no doubt about it. Elliot_spencer from Dave's ESL Cafe says that "it's hard to live on €1200 in Italy and you often lose a month or two of work during the summer." Someone else said that they spend 500 on rent, 100 on utilities, 250 on food, 80 on transport, and taxes are often around 40%. Many Europeans prefer the Middle East or Asia over Europe. Europe - not a living wage to be found.With that being said when there's a will there's a way and most people go to Europe for the culture rather than the money. Nonetheless, there are some employers that pay well. I've put together a list of the best paying ones in Cyprus, France, Georgia, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, UK, and Ukraine.

If you are in one of these countries now try to get permanent residency or citizenship. This might help you if these countries join the EU. However, it may take up to 10 years after joining the EU for citizens from Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia to be able to work in the other EU countries. Please see the official EU expansion website for more information.

Non-EU Countries
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland have all elected not to be part of the EU. However, some countries have agreements that let their citizens live in EU member states.

Schengen Countries
There are 25 Schengen countries. Bulgaria, and Cyprus, Liechtenstein^, and Romania are scheduled to join shortly. You can find information more information in free travel in Schengen countries.

Austria

Belgium

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France (Monaco*,**, ^)

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland**

Italy (San Marino^ and Vatican City^)

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Netherlands

Norway**

Poland

Portugal

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain (and Andorra**,^, ^^)

Sweden

Switzerland** (and Liechenstein*,^)

* Monaco's visa requirements are the same as France. Liechenstein's visa requirements are the same as Switzerland.**Not European Union members.^ Andorra, Liechenstein, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City are microstates. San Marino and Vatican City are de facto EU members. Andorra and Monaco aren't EU members; Liechenstein is a future member. Of these only Monaco can issue Schengen visas.^^Not a Schengen member.

Time in the Schengen Area
According to the Schengen Agreement, if you're not from an EU country or don't have a resident visa you can only stay 90 days out of 180 in the Schengen countries. Overstaying, living or working without a visa, could result in fines, arrest, deportation and/or being banned from entering Schengen countries in the future. If you're looking to travel, ITTP has lots of tips in his post that he wrote.

Getting Citizenship

There are 4 common ways to get citizenship: birth, marriage / civil partnerships, ancestry, and permanent residency. You can compare citizenship requirements through Canada Metropolis. You may also have to language, cultural, or history tests. In addition, some countries require you to give up your original citizenship. Here's info for France and Greece.

Birth: At least one of your parents will have to be a citizen of the country at the time of your birth.

Marriage (civil union, traditional / same-sex / common law marriage): Many countries (such as Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK) accept common law marriages, same-sex marriage, and/or same-sex unions. In Madrid Magazine has information about the pareja de hecho law which gives you a 5 year resident visa and after that you can apply for permanent residency. Italy and France do not require residence. France requires you know French and to be married for 5 years if the French spouse is not registered with the French embassy or 4 years if the French spouse is registered.Italy requires those who live outside of Italy to be married for 3 years if you don't have children or 1.5 years if you do. If you live in Italy, the requirements are 2 years of marriage without children and 1 year of marriage with children. In Spain, it's only 1 year of marriage and residency. The UK requires you to live in the UK for 3 years.

Ancestry: Some places like Italy may go back to your great-grandparents (look for "Cittadinanza italiana per discendenza / Italian Citizenship through ancestors (iure sanguinis))".The UK has a five year ancestry visa and here's more info. Just because one of your parents was born in an EU country doesn't mean that it's easy to get citizenship. Here's my quest for Romanian citizenship.

Permanent Residency: After getting permanent residency you can get citizenship. It may take up to 10 years to get permanent residency though. You can compare citizenship requirements through Google Answers and this link. Studies can also help you get citizenship. France cuts the 5 year residency requirement to 2 years if you are working towards a degree in France.

Illegally being there: If you can prove that you have lived and worked (even
if it's illegal) in Spain for at least 2 years then you can get
empadronamiento. It's part of the arraigo laboral. Otherwise known as
the outer limits law, it's only for illegals and you'll get residency. You can find more info at Anglo Info.

Marriage (traditional, civil union, same-sex, and common law): If you're in a marriage, (traditional, civil union, same-sex, or common law) with an EU citizen or resident you can get residency. Many countries, such as Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France (PACS), Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK accept common law marriages, same-sex marriage, and/or same-sex unions. In Madrid Magazine has info about the pareja de hecho law which gives you a 5 year resident visa and after that you can apply for permanent residency.

Study: Learning the language isn't as hard as you may think it is. France cuts the 5 year residency requirement down to 2 years if you are working towards a degree in France. CSIET
information about studying abroad. Some countries will let you work
part time while studying at a university. Italy for example, will allow
you to work up to 20 hours a week. See this thread
for info about studying in Italy. Universities in Europe are often
cheap and may even be free, however, don't forget that you'll still have
to pay for rent and food. In France, tuition for public institutions is less than €1000 a year. The Czech Republic, Iceland, and some Scandanavian countries, such as Finland, Iceland, and Norway have free tuiton. Here's a BBC article about Germany's offers free tuition. Here's information about Norway: free tuition, living in Norway, permanent residency, scholarships, and work / residency permits. There are also lots of scholarships out there, such as EURAMUS (geared towards health studies).

Work: See the section below "Working Legally in the EU".

Working Legally in the EU

Check out EURES. The skilled worker permit (also known as the Blue Card) has started. Some places like New Employment, i-to-i, CIEE, and World Teach all offer help with visas. Some countries, such as Holland and Belgium have straight forward methods to getting work visas. If you find an employer who will will a letter confirming you you'll be hired and you'll get a one year resident visa.

Find a Niche: If you have a high-demand career then you have a good chance of being sent to Europe. Technical, science, and engineering jobs are always in demand. Being sent abroad is one of the easiest ways to get into Europe.

Investor / Entrepreneur Visas: An investor is someone who invests a large amount of money. An entrepreneur is someone who starts a company or business. You might want to check out My Second Passport and My 2nd Passport for more info.

Cyprus allows permanent residency if you buy property or properties worth a total of at least €300,000.

France offers a skills and talents card and anyone could get it if their project is accepted. Or you could invest €300,000 and hire 2 French citizens.

The Netherlands has an agreement with the US called the Dutch American Friendship Treaty. You have to create a business plan, have health insurance, invest at least €4,500 and practice a "free profession" like law or medicine. Here's more information about the programme in detail.

Portugal has a golden visa which gives you permanent residency if you do one of two things: buy property or properties worth a total of at least €500,000 or start a company and hire ten employees.

Spain also has a golden visa. You need to buy property or properties worth a total of at least €500,000 and you'll get permanent residency.

Teaching at Camps: Some of them list you as a volunteer and you get a weekly stipend thus eliminating the need for a work visa. You will often be teaching English or performing in an English Theatre. See summer and winter camps for more info.

SOL places teachers in local schools. Housing is provided, but no families are allowed.

If you want to teach English all you need (for Americans) is: a Bachelors degree, a TEFL certificate, a D-Visa, and a Trade License (Zivnostensky List), see the fifth post on this thread at Dave's ESL Cafe for requirements for a Zivonstensky List. You will need a minimum of $8,000 in the bank to prove that you can support yourself while in the Czech Rep.

Germany also has freelance visas. You can find info on Toy Town Germany, How to Germany, and this page. Steps can be found at How to Germany, the German Immigration website, and this post. From Berlitz Germany: You can enter Germany with a three-month tourist visa and receive a restricted residency permit. Once you sign a contract, go to the federal office and have your visa extended to one year with permission to work as a freelance instructor. You may begin working when you receive your residence permit, but you will need to go to the tax office (Finanzamt) to get a tax number.

ACLE (endorsed by the Italian Ministry of Education) has an English camp and an English theatre. Lingue senza Frontiere (Language without Borders) also has an English camp and an English theatre.

Best Programs has been known to help with visas and getting internships.

Latvia

You can get a resident permit for 5 years provided you buy property (or invest in a business( worth about $135,000 usd and pass a criminal background check. After that you can apply for citizenship provided you can pass the language, culture, and history exam. There's more info at Overseas Exile.

has the blue card scheme. You'll need to have at least a 1 year contract, a university degree or 5 years experience in your field, earn at least 150% more than the average Portuguese, have health insurance, not be registered with the Portuguese Social Security, have a diploma or certification.

If you can prove that you have lived and worked (even if it's illegal) in Spain for at least 2 years then you can get empadronamiento. It's part of the arraigo laboral. Otherwise known as the outer limits law, it's only for illegals and you'll get residency. You can find more info at Anglo Info.

Some people have earned extra money by working at universities, language institutes, giving teacher training courses, giving language assistant training courses, giving presentations, or getting private students. They also have a visiting professor programme. You have to be able to write in Spanish, have teaching experience, be a college graduate and go for one semestre.

8 comments
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I have found a teaching job at a private school in Italy, being American...this means that they are applying for a work visa for me. I just found out that this is an AUTONOMOUS visa and was wondering if you had any advice on other dicuments I may need in order to take this matter to the Italian consulate for visa application process? any help would be much appreciated!grazie!

Hi,I've never gotten a visa from Italy. I suggest contacting the nearest Italian consulate. Do not go to Italy without a work visa, you could run the risk of getting deported. Try also asking on eslcafe.com

Hello, Sharon. Thank you so much for this info-packed blog-post. I am planning to travel throughout the UK/Old Europe for at least a year and will need to pick up additional income whilst abroad. I have been considering TEFL courses but I now know to look into the VISA sitch first so cheers for that tip! I am a musician and artist hoping to move to London, Paris, Milan, or Berlin on a permanent basis. Do you know of a site that explores Visas and citizenship issues and statues for creative types? All the best,Lauren M. Lynley